Ashamed of my beauty product hoard!

[IPokeBadgers]

I have spent some time this morning trying to sort and tidy my beauty and toiletries cupboard and I am actually feeling very and at the sheer volume of stuff that I have, much of it lovely and expensive and unopened!

I reckon it could take me a couple of years to get through it all!

Buying make up as well as lovely bath and shower stuff seems to have become my go to/default pick me up when I want to impulse buy...... but seeing the hoard has brought me down.

anyone else like this and are there any threads that would encourage me to stop buying stuff and use all the lovely products that I have?

please tell me I am not the only person like this?

Another empty today - Nip + fab dry leg fix. This was an impulse tk maxx buy and I won't be repurchasing. Absolutely no different from any other body lotion ever. And in a v small tube which I seem to have used up in a matter of weeks.

Binned a mini face cream, it had gone off and changed texture, the oil had satrted to separate from the solids. I also remembered that it was a pilling mess with an old-lady smell, that's why I never liked it. I only have one hotel moisturizer left, I think, and thenI might be done with unwanted moisturizers. Yay!

Also used a lovely cucumber sheet mask last night.

Max Factor Volume Mascara - done and gone. Replaced with same in Black/Brown as part of 3 for 2 a couple of months ago
Max Factor Mosaic Blush - hit pan. Done. Not replacing. Very chalky.

Loads of empties here - mainly samples, and minis as I took all my unwanted stuff with me on hol and used them up - I was either busy slathering myself in body cream or spraying my hair with leave in conditioner like mad:
Loreal elvive conditioning spray - lovely and light will repurchase as it perks up my hair in dry conditions
Vichy liftactiv filler - overused this and now have retinol burn not sure this did much for my skin while I was using it
Balance me balm cleanser - flannel off oily cleanser - left an oily residue on my hands unless scrubbed off with a flannel. Did seem to give some glow to my skin while using it but didn't like the scrubby particles in it
Sunday riley bionic cream sample, verso super eye serum sample - both meh won't buy full size.

Am not buying anymore this month as I bought loads of skincare stuff recently - this month is about using up what I have so going to start with all my samples, can't wait, I may even keep an empties bin

Inspired by this thread! This week I have used up my normal simple moisturiser, some ghost body lotion and I've just used a sample of hair oil on my hair. Will wash out tomorrow and hopefully have lovely silky locks. Must start clearing out make up too...

Mowglik I have the Vichy filler stuff. The one in the blue tube with a nozzle? I use mine sparingly and only at night. When I used more than that it made my face sting. It IS plumping/softening on me though.

Everyone has been doing so well on the empties front!

I've got a couple of (trial size) ones myself:

Nivea Pearl spray deodorant - v. good - will and already have repurchased

Space NK shower gel sample - nothing amazing won't repurchase

Malin and Goetz Bergamot shower gel - nice but not so amazing that I'd repurchase (there's plenty of decent cheap shower gels out there so I dont really see the point in getting a more expensive one unless it's incredible)

REN rosa centifolia micellar water - works very well and leaves skin feeling good. However, the Garner micellar water is a fraction of the price and just as good so I won't repurchase.

P.S. Mowglik which Elvive conditioning spray was it? I'm intrigued now! Love a decently priced hair product and I really like the Elvive serum (the one that comes in an orange bottle) - genuinely find it as effective if not better than the Kerastase equivalent which is way more expensive!

Used up a BB cream this morning! Delighted about that - its my second foundation to use up since we started (both were half full). And I cut the tube right open to get the last scrapes out like a good girl.

Now onto my half full Nars Sheer Glow. Slightly too yellow and a bit drying, so summertime is a good time to tackle it.

My makeup total used up:
2 foundations
1 lip pencil
4 eyeshadows (N2 palette) I've hit serious pan on, but none completely used
1 face powder
1 undereye corrector
2 mascaras.

I'm going to keep that in my notepad for future reference and keep updating it. Its really motivating! I've replaced all items with new items to use up in their place. Not buying anything yet, but pasting pics of everything I fancy in Evernote, and every few days I gaze at my fantasy stash and stroke the screen affectionately

By "new" I mean old half-used things, not actually new-new.

.....you know what I mean!

eliza it was the Vichy in the blue tube - I usually used moisturiser around half an hour after applying but the last couple of nights I omitted moisturiser and that did it.. Lots of flaky bits now but the stinging has gone thank goodness

jjwhite it was the elvive full restore conditioning spray, white with a red cap. Really lightweight but felt really nice on my hair - no heaviness and a bit more swish used it on the second day after washing to give hair a bit of moisture and oomph

I've only finished up a small bottle of perfume this week. I am close to finishing up a small number of full size products though. I can see progress!

The perfume was Flowerbomb. I love it and have opened a full size bottle.

Flowerbomb is lovely. on my list of perfumes I want but have a few to work through first!

Have taken a photo of all the products I have used up since starting this thread: kept the empties for a while to keep myself motivated but going to bin them now. These are all full sizes, and many products had been on the go for a while. Feels good!

Doh! Photo fail!

Badgers very impressive!!! You are doing so well! Very inspiring!

Empties:
Used up one of my hotel moisturizers - a yuzu one. These mini bottles have enough product for almost a week so it took some time. I have no recollection whatsoever where this came from and for how long I have had it but yuzu sounds like a mid-noughties thing Have another mini moisturizer coming up that I can connect to a transit hotel in Lisbon. I only hoard particularly nice hotel products so I usually remember where they are from.

Second empty: an Innisfree Blackberry sheet mask, very nice.

Very close to finishing four full size products.

New empty:

Neal's Yard Citrus body wash (a hotel mini): smelt nice, thick texture, probably won't repurchase as a bit too expensive.

After everyone's recommendations about Korean skincare products I went on a trip yesterday to a Korean skincare shop - and in a bit of a twist of fate the shop had closed down. Sad not to have tried out a few things, but definitely good for my no buying/using things up regime!

On a side note - I've been using up a GWP Clinique Take the day off makeup remover - and I swear it's made my skin react. I haven't changed anything else/ no other new products and the skin around my eyes is really sore, red and dry. I really want to finish it off rather than binning it so I might use it to dip cotton wool buds in when I want to correct my mascara/eyeliner. It'll take ages to use up but at least it's not binning it altogether!

mowglik thanks - I think when I run out of my current hair products I'm going to give the Elvive one a try...

Unusual problem - used up a moisturiser today with nothing to replace it! I'm impatiently awaiting a feelunique order with some Embryolisse in it.

It was Olay spf 30. This is one of my all time faves & have gone through countless bottles. Its nice, easy to get, often on offer in supermarkets and easy to pack. Great spf. But you fly through it! You also can't get the last bit out. I'll have a go at cutting it today to eke it out another day.

Hurry up postman!

By the way, am working on a Nars Sheer Glow and I just still don't like it. Is yellow, covers nothing and makes me look drier than I am. Very conflicted about continuing with it.

Annarose I have a couple of foundations like that. I am currently using a crap too-yellow Chanel foundation to cover up my undereyes. It is not very good for that, just a daily reminder that I should never buy without a proper trial, particularly if it is an expensive product, and using it up it will take forever. Thanks for the warning about Sheer Glow! I think you might be able to swap it on S&B - Nars is difficult to get in many places and other people might be curious about it.

I dumped a couple of sample jars of translucent mineral finishing powder into a jar of too-dark mineral foundation and gave it a good shake. I am finishing up my regular shade very soon and unwilling to buy anything new. I really, really just want more empty space in my cosmetics cupboard.

Jj are you in France by any chance?

FrugalFashionista yes I am! How did you work that out?

The Korean beauty shop I wanted to visit (but seems to have recently closed) was called Queen's House (I think). I went there yesterday but it seemed like they'd stopped trading (there was actually a guy sat in the bare-looking shop at the cash desk, but a sign on the door saying 'close' (sic!)). Probably for the best that I don't get started on Korean beauty products too!

No empties here for ages!!!! Am currently using a boots own brand dry shampoo. Bought because it's cheaper than batiste. But i really don't like it so won't be buying again.

JJ there are very few physical stores that sell Korean stuff in Europe and I heard the one in Paris (the one that I thought I might have a chance of visiting at some point) was closing down It is so much cheaper to order products directly from South Korea that physical stores have a hard time staying afloat. I'm in Italy and French pharmacy lines are everywhere here, so it is a challenging atmosphere for outsiders too. I have noticed though that Korean stuff has an influence on French lines, Vichy are offering a sleeping pack for example.

Empties:

A My Beauty Diary hyaluronic sheet mask (plumping and hydrating)
A hotel mini moisturizer (cut open for extra credit )

ememem I hit a long stretch of no empties this winter, but soon there is going to be another wave of empty full-size things. I find keeping a select few products visible in places where I see them (near the sink, on my nightstand) helps a lot. What I don't see I don't use up!

I have all my samples in a tray by my sink so when I need a moisturiser or serum I just look through those first so they get used up. I love samples but think I need to stop picking them up so I can use up my full size stuff :/

Not really an empty but i swapped a cerutti perfume for Vera wang princess with my sister.. It wasn't going to get used up any time soon (used to spray my towels with it) so am glad it's gone to a better home
Empty samples:
Dr G moisture ampoule and Dr G hydra intensive essence - loved the ampoule used it 4 days so far and my skin looks healthier

Another empty - good old body shop vitamin e night cream. I love this and go back to it time and time again. Will definitely repurchase at some point but not until I've used up the Aldi Lacura night cream I have waiting.

What's scuppered me is that I'm on holiday from work now. And have been doing more outdoorsy things (mostly in the sea things) so haven't bothered wearing much makeup. So I've lost 2 week!! Gah.

Am looking for a really good sun block for my face though. This is the one thing I'm buying next time in in town. So any recommendations please. I ride a lot so need something to keep my face and specially my nose from going rouge in the sun!

I've tried them all, and my favourite Western one is believe it or not the Aldi spf30 moisturising one. Its just nice on the face. Though I'm using the Biore Watery Gel spf50 I got on ebay at the mo as I really rate Korean sunscreens.

I finished a St Tropez Everyday body lotion. Cut it open too! Tbh it made me really streaky so wouldn't repurchase. Such a shame as the colour (Med-Dark) is really natural and its superb as a basic body lotion. I've dug out a bottle of the Dove gradual tanning body lotion thats half full, so we'll see how that compares.

Ah I don't have an aldi here. But I'll see if someone in the mainland UK can send to me so I can try it.

I'm heading to boots tomorrow so will have a look at their selection. I was using soltan/Nivea face but it's made my skin break out. My normal moisturiser does have spf in it (only 15) but need something higher for my poor face.